Journal: PLoS ONE
Article Title: Hypoperfusion of the Adventitial Vasa Vasorum Develops an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134386
Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Preoperative contrast-enhanced 3D-multiple-detector computed tomographic images of a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Scale bar = 20 mm. AAAs 30–49 mm in diameter were classified as small, and those more than 50 mm in diameter were classified as large. (B) Upper: representative images of cross-sections of small and large AAAs, (Elastica van Gieson staining). In the small AAAs, medial elastic fibers are relatively well preserved in comparison with the large AAAs. In these large AAAs, the medial elastic lamina is extensively disrupted, with a thick intraluminal thrombus. Ad;,adventitia; Me, media; In, intima. Scale bar = 500 μm. Lower part: representative images from the immunohistochemical assay for hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in a small and a large AAA. Nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of HIF-1α was observed in the media/adventitia in both AAAs. Scale bar = 500 μm. (C) Representative images of immunofluorescence staining for smooth muscle cells (SMCs; alpha-smooth muscle cell actin, ASMA) (green) and HIF-1α (red). Merged images showed that HIF-1α was positive in SMCs. Scale bar = 20 μm. (D) Representative images of immunofluorescence staining for fibroblasts (S-100; green) and HIF-1α (red). Merged images showed that HIF-1α was positive in fibroblasts. Scale bar = 20 μm. (E) Patency of the adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) in human tissues (Elastica van Gieson staining). The VVs are patent in the normal aorta but stenotic in the small and larger AAA sacs. Scale bar = 50μm. (F) Lumen patency of the VV was measured as the ratio of the lumen area to the total area, which was bounded by the external elastic lamina (EEL) in each VV. The figure compares lumen patency of adventitial VV among a normal aorta, a small AAA sac, and a large AAA sac adventitial VV. Data were obtained from six cadavers with normal aortae, seven patients with small AAAs, and 30 patients with large AAAs). **P < 0.01.
Article Snippet: We enrolled 37 patients who underwent elective open surgery for repair of infra-renal AAA or bilateral common iliac artery aneurysm at the Division of Vascular Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, between April 2008 and March 2012 ( ).
Techniques: Staining, Comparison, Immunohistochemical staining, Expressing, Immunofluorescence